GOP senators press Todd Blanche on records ahead of confirmation hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing for July 15 at 9 a.m. in Hart Senate Office Building Room 216, with outside witnesses set to testify on July 16, as Republicans decide how much independence they want to assert over Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general.

The panel is split 12-10, which means Blanche will likely need every Republican if Democrats vote no. A deadlock would sink the nomination, putting unusual leverage in the hands of a few GOP senators who have not broken with him but are still signaling that support is not automatic.

Chairman Chuck Grassley has said the Justice Department has been the most responsive agency he has overseen, but he still expects more records before the hearing. That leaves the committee focused less on a simple yes-or-no vote count than on whether Blanche will commit to fuller disclosure, answer outstanding questions in public, and satisfy senators who want evidence that he can separate the department’s work from Trump’s political interests.

Thom Tillis of North Carolina remains the most consequential Republican question mark. He has said he is generally satisfied with Blanche’s paperwork but wants the remaining questions answered at the hearing, and he has made Blanche’s views on Jan. 6 a red line for his vote. Tillis has said anyone who treated the Capitol rioters as righteous would not get his support. John Cornyn of Texas has taken a slower line, saying he will wait until after the hearings before deciding.

The pressure points are already clear. One is the now-withdrawn $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, which sparked anger in a closed-door Senate meeting in May. Another is the Justice Department’s investigation of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, which has intensified Democratic concerns that Blanche would protect Trump’s political priorities rather than the department’s institutional independence.

Blanche’s record gives critics more to work with. He was confirmed as deputy attorney general on March 5, 2025, by a 52-46 vote, and Trump later made him acting attorney general after firing Pam Bondi in April 2026. Blanche also served as Trump’s personal lawyer in the Stormy Daniels hush-money case and in the special counsel cases brought by Jack Smith.

Democratic opposition is likely to be fierce. Sheldon Whitehouse has said more than 10,000 lawyers have fled or been forced out of the Justice Department, and he has tied Blanche to the Maxwell transfer controversy and broader weaponization fights. More than 1,200 former Justice Department employees have also urged the Judiciary Committee to reject Blanche, adding institutional weight to the challenge facing a nominee whose confirmation now depends on whether Senate Republicans are willing to demand real limits from a Trump-aligned attorney general.